Princess Diana 'gave NotW reporter royal contact details'

DIRECTORIES: Diana allegedly gave the press royal contact information [DX]

Clive Goodman told the Old Bailey that she gave him details of royal contacts.

Goodman, who was jailed in 2007 for phone hacking, was the former royal editor and reporter at the now defunct tabloid.

Asked why the princess sent him the book, Mr Goodman said: "She was in a very bitter situation with the Prince of Wales at the time. She felt she was being swamped by the people close to him and she was looking to... to take him on."

Goodman said he used "Green Books" and internal telephone directories (ITDs), containing contact numbers for royal staff and senior members of the household, for stories.

Asked by his counsel David Spens QC how he received them, he recalled how one Green Book was given to him in 1992 by the Princess of Wales.

He said: "That arrived at my office in Wapping with my name on it.

"She (Princess Diana) had a (good) relationship with several journalists - Richard Kay at the Daily Mail, Martin Bashir of Panorama."

He insisted that he did not pay for the books.

ACCUSED: Clive Goodman was jailed in 2007 and is in court on a further two charges [PA]

It earlier emerged that competition at the paper was so fierce a colleague deliberately bungled an expose that an A-list model was moonlighting as a high-class prostitute.

The court heard how Mazher Mahmood – known as the Fake Sheik – had been setting up a sting involving the £2,000-a-night model, who he declined to name in court.

But a jealous NoW colleague allegedly called the model's agent and to warn them.

Goodman, who worked at the tabloid from 1986 until he was dismissed in 2007 following his conviction, said: "Maz had a household name – a model. The suggestion was that she was working as an up-market prostitute in Europe.

"If Mazher had a huge hit in the paper, (the colleague) didn't. So he (the colleague) quietly phoned the model's people and the meeting never took place."

PRESSURE: Clive added that the Princess felt under pressure to compete with her ex-husband [ANWAR HUSSAIN]

Goodman, who is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office, described the "extreme" culture of trying to get exclusive stories.He said: "There were regular byline counts, who wasn't performing.

"It was extremely competitive – very fast, busy.

"It was competitive between everyone, with each other and other departments."